University Presentation Showcase: Faculty Poster Gallery
Title
Living a Full Life After Breast Cancer and its Treatment Through Virtual Education and Support
Preview
Creation Date
2020
Department
Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Abstract
Over 3.5 million breast cancer survivors (BCS) live in the United States (ACS, 2002) and 3,800 Kentucky women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 (Siegel, Miller, & Jemal, 2020). As BCS are living longer, the need for additional support, education, and services has increased. Online support groups may be an option for BCS who live in remote areas, have multiple responsibilities or desire to have more privacy. We sought to create an online support group for BCS in rural Kentucky who had completed treatment for their breast cancer, except for Herceptin or an anti-hormone medication. A scripted message along with a Virtual Breast Cancer Support Group flyer was sent to eighty-six oncology providers via email or fax. We created the Rural Kentucky Breast Cancer Support Group Facebook page to provide Facebook Live educational sessions on a variety of BCS topics. We also used this as a platform to recruit to the study by posting our flyer. We shared this link with providers and BCS. After recruiting for only BCS living in rural Kentucky for several months, the inclusion criteria were expanded to BCS living in any area in the United States. Thirteen of the 86 oncology providers responded favorably to the Virtual Breast Cancer Support Group. No women met the inclusion criteria prior to expanding the geographic inclusion criteria. Six women agreed to participate in the Virtual Breast Cancer Support Group.
